Obesity drives global rise in cardiometabolic disease risk

Obesity is now recognised by medicine as a chronic, multifactorial disease that directly contributes to a range of cardiometabolic conditions, including hypertension, type‑2 diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. The World Health Organization reports that more than 1 billion people worldwide were living with obesity in 2022.

Visceral fat—particularly around the abdomen—raises insulin resistance, promotes inflammation and elevates blood pressure, accelerating atherosclerosis and other metabolic disturbances. Dr Lucas Moser emphasizes that excess body fat triggers metabolic changes that increase the risk of cardiovascular complications and reduce life expectancy. The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases highlights the same mechanisms, linking abdominal fat accumulation to higher rates of diabetes and arterial plaque formation.